“These Democrats are a bunch of wusses. They don’t have the courage of their convictions. They won’t stand and fight.” – Michael Moore, via Raw Story
From Michael Moore to Kathleen Parker, Democrats are getting the same review. The performance of the Democratic majority something that no partisan could defend. Led by Barack Obama, his party has come unglued to the point that not only have Democrats wasted an entire year, but they’ve managed to represent the worst of governmental incompetence while giving the government is bad crowd a serious boost. It’s hard to argue with Kathleen Parker on a couple of points she makes today:
… Meanwhile, incumbent Democrats are in trouble. If they pass health-care reform without Republican support, those from conservative districts likely won’t be returning to Washington next year. If they don’t pass health-care reform, they may be tossed out anyway. [...] … At the same time, more and more Americans are abandoning traditional political parties, with about 40 percent of the electorate identifying as independents. A perfect storm this way comes. …
Meanwhile, under the radar Liz Cheney and her group begin the swiftboating of the U.S. Justice Dept. and Eric Holder through nothing less than McCarthyism. The Ben Smith, Spencer Ackerman, and Glenn Greenwald have all covered it (also see pmichael’s In the News diary). The Republican party mainstream, represented by Liz Cheney, who carries on her father’s disappointingly despicable legacy, is now suggesting that due process and a fair trial should not be part of the American system of justice. Going further to say that lawyers who represent detainees are traitorous, “terror sympathizers.”
Rushing to their defense is retired Air Force Col. Morris Davis, the chief prosecutor of the Cheneys’ beloved military commissions, who told me the attacks are “outrageous.” … “It is absolutely outrageous for the Cheney-Grassley crowd to try to tar and feather Neal and Jennifer and insinuate they are al-Qaeda supporters. You don’t hear anyone refer to John Adams as a turncoat for representing the Brits in the Boston Massacre trial.” [...] “If you zealously represent a client, there’s nothing shameful about that,” said the retired Air Force colonel. “That’s the American way.” – via Spencer Ackerman
Meanwhile, there is silence from the Democrats on this as well as a host of other issues. Because after over a full year of being in the majority they’re still bogged down on health care, as they argue with themselves, play defense, while allowing the Republicans to chip away at a policy prescription that everyone knows is desperately needed. Just today Democrats deciding that reconciliation is a go, something that should have been figured out way back in July 2009, because anyone with knowledge of the stakes for Republicans on health care would have known they never had any intention of helping Democrats get a win. It’s political malpractice that Democrats have just now figured this out, but did so by also voluntarily giving up the one part of health care to which the American people approve, the public option. The ineptitude boggles the mind.
Never before has the Democratic party been so thoroughly humiliated.
It would eave an opening for Republicans, but nobody wants them either, which is understandable.
Teeing it up for the Tea Party, because independents can’t seem to find a candidate to rally around.
The state of American politics is in shambles.
Yeah. 2012 loooks like it might be repeat of 1968 as far as parties splitting up goes. I guess you could take the George Wallace movement at that time and make it the tea party movement of today. Who this helps win in 2012 i’m not sure but it’s going to be interesting.
The worst thing is that I had rock bottom expectations for Obama and he has not even met those. He’s shown that he’s incapable of leading so maybe he’ll step down and not run for reelection.
Afternoon Ga6thDem.
Not a chance re: Obama. The right’s worse! How’s that for an endorsement.
Well, Taylor, as weak as he is and if the GOP wins in Nov. and they start investigating everything he’s done in his entire life he might just decide it’s not worth it. he’s not been known to stick out work commitments.
Taylor, Do you think that he’ll have a primary challenger in 2012?
Ga6thDem says:
03 March 2010 at 12:58 pm
No, I don’t.
“Present.”
This country cannot take 7 more years of incompetence and if the Repubs get back in we may cease to be the same country,re: Liz Cheney. I really hope Bloomberg is seriously thinking about an Independent run. He can’t get in to early for me.Maybe if he was in other independent candidates would come forth from the left to aide in his challenge to the current condition of the nation.I know there is probably alot or maybe just a little that I don’t love about him but I do think his competence is unquestionable.I know he is as establishment as possible in some areas but if we could just go back to the Clinton era of status quo minus what we have learned about deregulation and the limits of global trade it would be good.
As for the point in my post about passing health care through reconciliation, breaking news In the News is here, including full remarks of Obama:
http://www.taylormarsh.com/2010/03/03/breaking-now-obama-lays-out-plan-to-pass-hcr/
Video of part of O’s remarks below. That it took over a year for Obama to get a clue is stunning.
Sadly this is so spot-on that it makes me sick!
We are having our NM State Democratic Party PrePrimary convention the 13th of March. I’ll be willing to bet that neither of our Senators will show because they know what kind of “feedback” they will get. People are so pissed with those filthy cowards that they can’t show their face for fear of the reaming they will get.
This country desperately needs real leadership and what do we have – wacho Republicans, corrupt and cowardly Democratic members of the House and Senate and a President that seems afraid of his own shadow. If any of the Dems in DC actually believe in anything other that ducking and weaving to stay in power I’d be shocked. Frankly I’m coming to the conclusion we have to kill the Democratic Party to save it – perhaps is we replaced all the Dems in the House and Senate things might get better. Certainly Obama has got to go – he’s too much of a failure to have hang around any longer.
mwfolsom~ Are your other party activitists as angry as you are? I have dropped out of party doings because I’m afraid that the kool aide has not worn off. I would get into some serious disagreements with anyone trying to defend Obama and the current Dems.The kind that would hurt friendships.
“The state of American politics is in shambles.” And yet, we are all better off today than we were when the bush mafia was in power. Let us not forget that it was they and their well oiled machine which brought us all to our current miserable state of affairs. Would any politician dare to suggest that we illegally invade and occupy another country today? Good times. Peace
Anyone who paid attention in the 2008 primaries could see that Obama was a liar who would say anything to get elected. It was so outrageous. It took the MSM working overtime to cover up his daily dose of untruths. Plus a corrupt DNC to cheat for him, so he could claim victory. They just had to have their “historic” president.
However, ordinary people do not forgive and forget as easily as politicians who need to get into bed together. I will never be a Democrat again after what they pulled, and I have a lot of friends who feel the same way. All of them voted for Obama in the general, but they weren’t happy about it. Now, having seen what he has done, most of them regret their vote, so there is not a lot of good will to spare for Obama.
Why would anyone support this terrible healthcare bill that would enslave the entire American people to a corrupt insurance system? Just so Obama can claim a victory? That is so disgusting. I remember the summer of 08 and how the OBots were beating up the Hillary supporters on blogs, telling them they better not even think about voting for McCain because a woman’s right to choose was hanging in the balance. What do they say now, since Obama so easily gave it up in order to make deals on his “historic” legislation. This bill needs to die a fiery death.
Imhotep, I guess you prefer the Chicago mafia to the Bushes. Didn’t we just escalate in Afghanistan? I guess that is OK for you since it is “legal”?
Remind me how we are better off today? What has changed? Are we still at war with Eurasia?
Mawm, you’re either a disgruntled Hillary supporter of a right wing fanatic or both. Please try to get a grip on reality and accept your lot in life. Perhaps some medication might help. Peace
I guess you can’t answer my questions, so you have to try and insult me.
Nothing has changed except who is in power. The same policies are being followed.
Something that is being swept under the rug, because all the focus is on the healthcare monster is education. Did you know that Obama wants to close under performing public schools and replace them with charter schools? What party does that sound like? Who can tell the difference between these guys anymore unless we see an R or D after their name?
Imhotep says:
03 March 2010 at 3:19 pm
You’re not exactly “fair and balanced, Imhotep. So, let’s not call others into a category when you have more than proven you belong to a group, Hillary Haters Anon, on the other side of the spectrum.
mwfolsom says:
03 March 2010 at 2:27 pm
That says a lot about the current state of affairs.
I think a strong independent presidental candidate like Bloomberg could win. I think traditional Republicans and Democrats that have not already moved to Independent would do so if Bloomberg ran. Still it comes down to money – where would the fat cats place their bets? The economy will still be the number one issue I believe in 2012 – I don’t see any worthwhile work being done to address employement and I don’t believe that creating more government jobs is the answer. If the sorry Senate bill is passed I don’t expect anymore work to be done on Healthcare. I believe when people get the bill for healthcare starting after it is past but don’t gert any benefits until 2013 – no one in Congress or the President will be re-elected.
What a “strong independent” could do is throw the race into chaos. It doesn’t matter if he/she might win as much as how many votes the candidate would pull from Obama or the Rep. That’s the real challenge.
That said, I’m *not* holding my breath on a 3rd party entry.
Mawm says:
03 March 2010 at 3:30 pm
Don’t even get me started with that one, Mawm. I have been keeping very close track of that. I am really disappointed in Arne Duncan and Obama on the education front, and the teachers’ union seems to be going right along with them. Obama didn’t attend public schools and his sister teaches at a charter school in Hawaii. So maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. Being a teacher in the inner city for many years and being a very dedicated one at that, the public has absolutely no idea what we are up against and put up with on a daily basis. Teachers are being scapegoated for the ills of society. And you’re right, the issue is being swept under the rug.
Boy lynnette …I hear ya! Teachers are being scapegoated for the ill’s of society that NO ONE wants to address.It looked early on like Edwards did but scrap that idea.
You know the story in the news about the school that fired all of it’s teachers? I think that was the choice given by Duncun to get grant money. The school had asked teachers to work a longer day and year but did not want to pay them.
Lake Lady says:
03 March 2010 at 6:25 pm
Yes, I read about it. It’s part of NCLB. After a certain number of years of failure, the school has several choices to turn itself around. One choice would be to become a charter school. Another choice is that the school has to change at least 50% of its staff and the rest have to reinterview for their jobs. I think (reading between the lines) that is what happenned in Rhode Island. There are a few other options, too but they escape me at the moment. This has been done in my district at a few of the poorest schools to no avail – got rid of the staff and hired a new one and it made no difference. They were supposed to get extra funding, resources, and staff but never received it or not nearly enough to make an impact. What is ignored is the research on poverty, language development and birth to 5 years of age being critically important for children’s future learning, i.e. the 30 million word gap research, etc. You just don’t hear of that research in the MSM. I could write a book on this but I’ll stop for now. The whole issue is complex but there are those who want to simplify it for political gain and scapegoating purposes (a.k.a break up the teacher unions).
Lake Lady asks “Are your other party activitists as angry as you are? I have dropped out of party doings because I’m afraid that the kool aide has not worn off. I would get into some serious disagreements with anyone trying to defend Obama and the current Dems.The kind that would hurt friendships.”
I know exactly what you are saying. My view of Obama started going downhill when I heard he had invited the bible thumper Rick Warren to be part of his inauguration – I was so disgusted I didn’t even watch the swearing in. So, I started early and my view of the big “O” has been getting worse for a while now.
Anyway, there are lots of Dem activists that refuse to accept that Obama is anything other than the soul of perfection and have told me “just wait – everything is just going to work out” more than once. O’s bright and has a cunning plan! Frankly, I just don’t push it with those people. However, there are a growing number of folks in the Party that see him exactly for what he is and another large group that just don’t want to talk about it at all! This bunch simply can’t admit what a disaster he is but they know there are massive problems – they blame Rahmn, the Republicans, whoever but not Obama. Once he looses the 3rd group he’s kaput!
My bet is that if you got involved again you would discover you ain’t alone. Frankly we are probably still in the minority but our numbers are growing fast. The Union folks are just pissed – privately they know and admit that they will never see card check and some are talking of not working for or helping Dems in the next election. My guess is that they will be forced to “cave” in the end but what they do will be more for show than anything else. One thing to note here is that everybody save the Koolaide crowd are talking about being very selective who they give $’s to and who they help from now on.
I must ask – please don’t walk from the party. This is what happens all the time. They take out work, sweat and dollars and then just piss on us but in the end the progressives have power if we choose to use it. However, if you disappear the Elites act like everything is just fine. Only by getting in the Elite’s faces can we force them to change. If my and others guesses are right there won’t be lots left of the Dem Party by the time Obama looses and leaves office in about 3 years. Folks like you and me need to standing there when the next crop of candidates show up to read them the riot act about the dangers of being cowards and selling out to corporations and help to sort who wins and who looses.
Every year in NM the progressives have gotten more power in the party and now we are getting to the point where the bad Dem elected officers are trying to figure out how to handle us while we are learning how to get rid of them. I’m gonna predict that the next two primary & general elections are going to be nasty here in NM but hopefully they will be harder on the good old boys than “us”.
Just remember the party is ultimately owned by those that keep it alive however we can’t become the doormats to the Elites. Only by holding their feet to the fire can we turn it into the thing we want it to be -
I’m looking for a way to get more progressives in Congress. Don’t know the best way to do it though. But I’m encouraged by Bill Halter’s filing in Arkansas. Replace the weak Congressional leadership with stronger Democrats.
“Imhotep says:
03 March 2010 at 3:01 pm”
So after eons spewing Obama and the Dems are as bad as the repugs, HRC is a zionist and a warmonger, Obama is a warmonger etc. etc. etc. Corporitists, corrupt, etc, etc,etc we get this crap.
Does anyone need any more proof this dim bulb is just a mental Onism practicing troll?
McKinless says:
03 March 2010 at 8:22 pm
I’m wondering what you think about what progressives are doing right now, siding with the current health care proposal, which is NOT progressive at all.
Agreed on Halter.
http://www.billhalter.com/
Also wanted to thank everyone, great stuff on charter schools, Mawm, for the terrific input. Appreciate it very much.
The AFT and the AFL-CIO have put out a statement criticizing Obama and Duncan’s words on the mass firing of the Rhode Island teachers. I’ll tell you the one thing that could very possibly make me vote other than Obama in 2012 and this is it.
http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/ecouncil/ec03032010e.cfm